T-Mobile says it stopped hackers from breaching systems
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Photo: Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images.
T-Mobile said in a blog post Wednesday it prevented an attempt to infiltrate its systems following reports of an ongoing Chinese espionage campaign targeting high-profile individual's phones through weaknesses in telecommunications networks.
Why it matters: This is the first time T-Mobile has provided details on activity that could be linked to the sprawling espionage campaign that continues to worry U.S. officials.
Driving the news: Previous reports suggested that T-Mobile may have been one of the telecommunications providers that Salt Typhoon successfully hacked.
- Bloomberg earlier reported that T-Mobile was able to avert the breach.
Zoom in: Jeff Simon, T-Mobile's chief security officer, told Bloomberg News in an interview that his team was tipped off to the intrusion attempts when they detected unauthorized users running commands on the company's network devices.
- In the blog post, he said the hackers appeared to have first gained access to a wireline provider's network that was connected to T-Mobile's and tried to use that as a foothold.
- Simon also said in the post that its customers' phone calls, text messages and other sensitive information were not taken during these incidents — unlike other providers, who have reportedly had hackers lurking in their networks for "an extended period of time."
- T-Mobile has severed connectivity to the infiltrated wireline provider's network, noting that "we believe it was – and may still be – compromised."
Yes, but: T-Mobile said it cannot definitively say these hackers were part of the China-linked Salt Typhoon group or any other hacking team.
The big picture: U.S. officials and the telecommunications industry are still scrambling to find ways to remove hackers' access to these networks.
- Last Friday, the White House convened a meeting with affected telecom providers to determine the best path forward, according to the New York Times.
- Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the chair of the intelligence committee, has said this is easily the "worst telecom hack in our nation's history" and estimated it could impact millions of people.
Between the lines: Telecom networks have long been a prime target for both cybercriminals and nation-state hackers since they collect a wealth of sensitive information about their customers.
Go deeper: What you need to know about the Salt Typhoon hack
